After several failed relationships, she married fellow soccer player Sarah Huffman in 2013, but their union also became troubled, and Wambach concludes her story with uncertainty regarding their future together.

Wambach’s penchant for excessive drinking led to a DUI arrest in 2016, after which she tapped into her strength and innate competitiveness in order to beat her addiction. Her off-field life has been eventful as well. Her sincere passion for the game helped her survive the years of physical and psychological sacrifice. Wambach’s storied soccer career led her to multiple Olympic gold medals and FIFA Women’s World Cup titles, the achievement of which she portrays engrossingly, and she offers sobering descriptions of the various serious injuries endured along the way. Her life has been filled with athletic triumphs and personal demons a-plenty, and she shares her story in gripping fashion. Not so arguably, she is the greatest professional female soccer player in history, and this revealing autobiography shows us that she is also a compelling writer. Since I generally don’t follow team sports, I confess my awareness of Abby Wambach was pretty slim until recently. Far more than a sports memoir, Forward is gripping tale of resilience and redemption-and a reminder that heroism is, above all, about embracing life’s challenges with fearlessness and heart.Wambach, Abby. With stunning candor, Abby shares her inspiring and often brutal journey from girl in Rochester, New York, to world-class athlete. Called an inspiration and “badass” by President Obama, Abby has become a fierce advocate for women’s rights and equal opportunity, pushing to translate the success of her team to the real world.Īs she reveals in this searching memoir, Abby’s professional success often masked her inner struggle to reconcile the various parts of herself: ferocious competitor, daughter, leader, wife. At age thirty-five she would become the highest goal scorer-male or female-in the history of soccer, capturing the nation’s heart with her team’s 2015 World Cup Championship. At age seven she was put on the boys’ soccer team. “This is the best memoir I’ve read by an athlete since Andre Agassi’s Open.” -Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and TakeĪbby Wambach has always pushed the limits of what is possible. 'Forward is the powerful story of an athlete who has inspired girls all over the world to believe in themselves.' -Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, New York Times Bestselling author of Lean In 'Lucid and wrenching.Forward puts achievement in context with painful and beautiful candor.' -NPR

Abby wambach book forward